Cause of death pending of local physician found in Fairfield park

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

The man found dead Tuesday afternoon in Harbin Park was a local physician and a county deputy coroner.

Dr. Terrance Ross Conti, 59, of South Gate Blvd. in Fairfield, was found at around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 161-acre park. An autopsy was performed today but the cause and manner of death are listed pending, according to the coroner’s office.

Conti was hired by former county coroner Dr. Richard Burkhardt in 2001 and he served as deputy coroner until February 2011, according to Martin Schneider, coroner’s office administrator.

Police Chief Mike Dickey told the Journal-News there were no obvious signs of trauma, but can’t say how long he had been dead.

“We’ll have to wait on the (Butler County) Coroner’s Office to give a time of death,” Dickey said. “We’ve gathered what we can at the scene. (The investigation is) dependent on the autopsy results.”

Dickey did say Conti lived alone.

Harbin Park is located at 1300 Hunter Road in Fairfield. The 161 acre park is the city’s largest park.

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